Medjugorje

Dear Friends in Christ,

The recent “Medjugorje Peace Conference” held at UC Irvine motivates me caution those who promote this so-called apparition that the Church has not approved it and it is unlikely that she will ever approve it. One of the criteria for authenticity of any apparition is obedience to Church authority. A very powerful example of this is the apparition of the Sacred Heart of Jesus to St. Margaret Mary Alacoque in the 17th century. At one point during the apparitions Our Lord said to her:

“I desire that you should do what your Superiors command, but also that you should do nothing of all that I order you without their consent. I love obedience, and without it no one can please Me.” (Diary of St. Margaret Mary). Now this is the Son of God Himself telling Margaret Mary to obey her superior above all, even when it comes to His requests. It seems clear that the Lord holds obedience in very high esteem.

Obedience is an acid test for the authenticity of any purported apparition. The apparition of our Lady of Guadalupe shows St. Juan Diego obedient to the local bishop. St. Bernadette willingly submitted to lengthy interrogation related to the apparitions at Lourdes.

However, when we examine the situation of Medjugorje we find a serious lack of obedience on the part of the local parish priest, who consistently ignored the local bishop and finally had to be removed from ministry as the following quotes from Catholic News Service show:

Pope Benedict XVI has laicized a Franciscan priest who served as the
spiritual adviser to the Marian visionaries in Medjugorje, Bosnia-Herzegovina…

The pontiff, in a document issued "motu proprio" (on his own initiative), returned Father Tomislav Vlasic to the lay state and dispensed him from his religious vows as a member of the Order of Friars Minor…

Vlasic was confined to a Franciscan monastery in L'Aquila, Italy, in February 2008 after he refused to cooperate in a Vatican investigation of his activities for suspected heresy and schism.”(From CNS website for July 28, 2009).

With regard to the supernatural nature of the visions of our Lady there remain serious doubts. Three church commissions failed to find evidence to support the visionaries' claims and the bishops of the former Yugoslavia declared in 1991 that "it cannot be affirmed that these matters concern supernatural apparitions or revelations."(CNS) When we have such powerful messages of hope, conversion, and prayer from Fatima, Lourdes, Paray le Monial, and other approved private revelations, it would seem unnecessary to seek spiritual guidance from a source that has prompted such reactions from the Magisterium of the Church.

God bless you and your families.

Fr. Hildebrand

Family Vocation Day at SJB

Dear Friends in Christ,

Please note that we are holding a special event this week. On Saturday, Oct. 24 we are holding our first ever Family Vocation Day. This free all day event is for everyone. We extend the invitation to all families, big and small, from seniors to second graders, and from teens to young adults. The reason this event is for all ages is very simple: We all have a vocation! Yes, each and every one of us received a vocation at Baptism. That vocation is a call to holiness in Christ’s Church. However, it is not just for us personally; our vocation impels us to share Christ’s good news with others. How do we accomplish our special mission? This Saturday you will find out.

The accomplishment of our mission is related to our gifts. This Saturday several religious communities will be represented. These sisters and priests will share how the charism of their orders helps them to fulfill God’s plan in their lives. They will have materials available to show how their communities spread the Gospel message and help many people come closer to Christ. They will pray together with us at Mass and Benediction. They will speak to us about their own vocation and how to discern a religious vocation. There will be activities for the younger children and group meetings for young people and adults. And if that were not enough, we are pro-
viding a free lunch!

I strongly encourage you to sign up for this unique and exciting event. You can register online or by calling our office. You can also register after Mass at the tables outside.

During this Year for Priests we are especially encouraged to promote vocations to the priesthood. Let us pray for more priestly vocations from our parish. May the seed sown by the Good Shepherd bear fruit for his harvest of eternal life.

God bless you and your families.

Fr. Hildebrand

Preventive Measures at SJB

Dear Friends in Christ,

The onset of the flu season this year brings the added threat of swine flu. While we must avoid exaggeration, we must also exercise caution because this strain of virus has proven very strong and has caused serious illness. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention report that 27 states including California report widespread incidence of flu cases. This prompts us to take measures to prevent infection, which can occur especially when large numbers of people are gathered together in church.

Here are some basic guidelines and some practical measures we are offering here at St. John’s:

• If you develop flu symptoms (upset stomach, chills, fever, cough, etc.) please stay home and take care of yourself. Sick persons are excused from Mass on Sunday.
• Please cover your nose and mouth when coughing or sneezing. This is an act of courtesy and charity to those around you. Doctors have told us that hand contact is a primary way that germs are spread. Therefore, we are asking that everyone cooperate with two changes that we have initiated during the Mass:
  

During the Our Father we will not hold hands with our neighbor. This practice has no precedent in our Catholic tradition. It has developed among some Protestant and charismatic groups over the past few decades. The priest will remind us not to hold hands before the Our Father begins for hygienic purposes in order to prevent possible spread of disease.

At the greeting of peace, the priest will say “The peace of the Lord be with you always” and we will respond as usual “And also with you.” Then the choir/cantor will immediately continue with the Lamb of God (Agnus Dei) and the sign of peace will be omitted. This gesture of peace, which is entirely optional, has habitually been expressed by shaking hands. Since we have pointed out that infection is spread by hand contact, it seems important to initiate this change during the flu season. The words of the greeting of peace already contain a wish for peace directed toward everyone.

Let us pray that this flu season is a mild one and let’s do our part to stay healthy and show courtesy to others.

God bless you all.

Fr. Hildebrand

40 Days for Life: Pray and fast for an end to abortion during the period

Dear Friends in Christ,

October is Respect Life Month. As human persons blessed with the gift of life ourselves we also maintain that every conceived human being has a right to life, and that life must be respected from the first moment of conception until natural death.

As Christians we value human life because every human being is created in God’s image and is redeemed by the blood of our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore we oppose all efforts to promote abortion, euthanasia, and other threats to human life, including the death penalty and human trafficking. These threats to human life and dignity are directly opposed to our Christian and Catholic faith.

We begin our observance of Respect Life Month this weekend with our “Pennies from Heaven” campaign. Our extra change adds up to benefits for pro-life centers throughout Orange County. Thank you for your generosity.

Here are some examples of pro-life activities you could participate in:

Conference: Dialogue about the miracles God is working today in the pro life movement with Kathleen Eaton, founder and CEO of Birth Choice, and Dr. Paul Selecky of Hoag Hospital

Where: St. Bonaventure Parish Center

16400 Springdale St.
Huntington Beach, CA

When: Oct. 13, 7 PM

40 Days for Life: Pray and fast for an end to abortion during the period Sept. 23-Nov. 7

Fr. Hildebrand